Just a Bad Dream
by mcobsessed007
Summary: After ABC's news that Stana Katic and Tamala Jones aren't coming bad, I needed to write a different version of some Castle events for myself. Here's a short but sweet story about things going right from 6x23.
**Cathartic writing after the terrible news!**

 **Silly story, silly premise: I thought, "wouldn't it be great if season 8 was just someone's bad dream?" I knew it wouldn't actually happen, so I decided to write it instead. Once I was already rewriting, I decided to start from where the show went weird/annoying. I liked seasons 6 and 7, but I really would have enjoyed a Caskett wedding, without all the drama, in 6x23.**

 **Disclaimer: Castle does not belong to me, which is good, because otherwise I'd have a lot of enemies right now.**

Castle's dream of solving cases while dressed like a space cowboy took an even stranger turn when he heard a damsel in distress moaning.

"No…no…it can't be."

Suddenly, his eyes flew open. For the lost lady wasn't a figment of his own overactive imagination, it was his lovely fiancée, clearly having a nightmare. Beckett had had terrible dreams the first few nights after Bracken's arrest (and so had he), but now, almost two weeks later, he'd hoped she would be able to sleep better.

Castle sat up and gently shook Beckett's shoulder. "Beckett," he whispered. "Kate, wake up."

Beckett woke up, gasping for breath and looking wildly around the room. Castle wrapped his arms around her, knowing she didn't like to talk right after a nightmare, but tonight was apparently different.

"Rick? What's going on? Where are we? When are we?"

He stared at her. Either she'd had an especially terrible nightmare, or the ever-sensible Katherine Beckett was giving him a good reason to believe in time travel. Castle wasn't quite sure how to react. If Beckett was just a little confused in the middle of the night and he asked about time travel, she might hit him.

"Um…Beckett? It's 2014. We're getting married in four days. Well, three, because it's after midnight. Does that help?" Castle was trying to figure out what else he could say when Beckett said something both alarming and slightly discouraging.

"2014? We're not married yet? Oh, thank goodness."

"Beckett?" Castle asked, both bewildered and devastated, "Why is it good that we're not married? Are you having second thoughts? Remember, it's too late to return the tux, and three days before the wedding is a little late to let our guests know. It's also a little late to let me know."

"No! Babe, that's not what I meant!" Beckett cried, quickly kissing him, and then taking his hands in hers. "I had a terrible dream, and if the wedding hasn't happened, that means nothing in the dream happened either."

" _What_ happened or didn't happen?"

"I'm not sure I can even tell you," Beckett replied. "It might be best to forget it."

Castle shook his head. "As an expert on fiction, as I use it in my books and in my discussions with authority figures, I can tell you that trying to forget a story, especially when it happens in your head, isn't a great idea. Just give me a general idea. Besides, if you're actually okay with us still getting married, then we're about to share everything. Start by sharing your dream. And then we'll share our dreams and goals forever."

"I don't know how you can make everything so romantic and corny," Beckett said, rolling her eyes and failing to hide a smile. "But you are indeed an expert on fiction, especially while solving cases, so here goes: We went to fill out the paperwork for our marriage license, but I had accidentally married a friend in Vegas when I was eighteen. No, don't interrupt, let me just get it all out. Trust me, it gets weirder. Then we had to track down the guy, and our wedding plans all fell apart on the way. Then you were kidnapped on the way to the wedding, and came back after two months with amnesia. We eventually got married, but then I wanted to solve a dangerous case without putting you in harm's way, so I told you I needed space and moved out. And there was more, like you became buddies with an annoying British woman, and we got back together but hid it from everyone, oh, and at some point Gates kicked you out and you became a PI, and-"

At this point, Beckett burst into tears. Castle hugged her tightly, and said softly, "Kate, I can't promise you that things will go perfectly for us every day. But I don't think you're married, and I don't think I'll get kidnapped. I'll be careful on the way to the wedding just to be safe. But I can promise you that it was just a bad dream, because the real me would never, ever allow you to walk away from this beautiful thing we have just for a case. And the real you would never walk away in the first place. I can definitely understand pre-wedding jitters, but just know that we'll always be together. Always."

Beckett smiled, wiped away her tears, and said, "Thank you. You're right, we're going to be great."

Castle put his mouth very close to his fiancée's ear and said, using the same tone she'd used that day all those years ago, "You have no idea."

Five years and three days later, Castle and Beckett were awoken on their anniversary by Alexis and her two little siblings (Castle wanted to call them their Caskett children, but Beckett said no one was allowed to use Emily and Jacob's names and the word "casket" in the same sentence. It was too morbid.). As the family of five had breakfast in bed and passed around the homemade cards and gifts, Castle and Beckett reflected on the joys of their marriage. Beckett had become Captain Beckett, which gave her more time to be home with her family. Castle still offered insight on cases, but also spent time writing and playing with the kids. And while they were always delighted to have Alexis home (especially this morning, when their two-year-old son would have otherwise attempted to use the stove alone), they were even happier that she was in law school and living with her boyfriend (even Castle, the king of overprotective fathers, couldn't find anything wrong with David. In fact, the highest praise Castle could offer was that he was nothing like Pi). Castle and Beckett/Rick and Kate/Rickate/Katick/Caskett were living a wonderful life, one that was nothing like Beckett's terrible nightmare, and they knew they would always be happy together. Always.

 **Hope you enjoyed. I just needed to write something silly but sweet after a full day of Castle drama (which didn't even include watching tonight's episode).**

 **If anyone reads my stories, I know that I have a very old unfinished Castle story, for which I apologize. I hate it when authors do that, but I haven't been able to figure out where the story was supposed to go.**


End file.
